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Esoteric order of Enlightenment
The Esoteric Order of Enlightenment is a fictional secret society from the Source Lands Setting, which existed prior to the rise of the Westerland Empire. The Esoteric Order of Enlightenment has many layers, and operates in cells that are anonymous from each other. In addition to that, the different cells are tiered, with the leadership of a lower-tier cell being aware of the existence of the a higher-tier cell that directs them - but only through a select few contacts, and this ensures the utmost secrecy among members - to the point where many members are not even aware of the origins of the order, nor do they necessarily share the same agenda. History The Esoteric Order of Enlightenment existed prior to the Eldar arriving on Terra, but it is doubtful that the Order's original mission is being observed anymore - what ever it was. The Order saw many members join, upon the coming of the Elves, who controlled magic, and the Order saw a massive influx of members and the arrival of a new agenda; namely to uncover all the arcane secrets, and more importantly to find out how to pass them on to the Eldar. First Conflicts As the Elves formed proper nations, the Eldar fell from roles of leaders, and into roles of ignored teachers and powerless symbolic figures. The Elves could not formally outlaw the Esoteric Order, but many were openly opposed to the Order, and many found loop-holes allowing them to functionally prosecute members of the Order, forcing the Order into total secrecy - but the Order swelled with new numbers hailing from the Elves themselves, many of which did not see the Eldar as a different species, but rather a link to the origins of their collective people, that should not be ignored - and these radicals were hunted even more than the Order itself. Expansion After the Elves obtained the services of the primitive humans, it was not long until the numbers of the humans had spiraled out of control, and many cities were functionally human settlements now. Former slaves of Elven members of the Orders had formed their own cells - possibly entirely severed from the original Elven Esoteric Order - quite likely forming a rival organization of the exact same name, though due to the way the Order operates, it is impossible to know if the two orders did not remain connected on some level. The Human Branch The human branch of the order was dedicated to preserving Elven Knowledge and Arcane Secrets, to aid human spell-casters and to preserve the Elven Infrastructure of the inherited cities. The Elven Branch It is unknown if the Elven Branch survived long past this point in history, but it is known that they had some quarrels with the Human Branch - seemingly based on professional jealousy and competition. Going to ground After the rise of the First Human Empire, the human Order formally reformed into the "Imperial Mage's Guild", but it is rumored throughout continued history that the Esoteric Order remained in existence as a secretive organization that only esteemed and powerful members of the Guild were invited to join - yet not all members were likely spell-casters. As a direct result of the Mage's Guild's power and inherited influence, many mages fled the mainland - some to Talanthia, and formed their own city-states there. Reappearance The order formally reappears in history in the Colonial Era, officially as a not-so-secret society for academics, but rumored to unofficially be a secret organization that studied the occult. Customs The Order may have had customs prior to the events described under "First Conflicts", but most current customs and traditions were formed during this time period. The Masquerade When members of the Order meet, they wear masks. Members are not allowed to know of each other's identities, but to prevent members getting into open conflict with each other, a secret symbol is engraved unto their foreheads, visible only to other members, but not visible when wearing a mask. The symbol is that of a third eye.